(a) Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a passive seat belt system, and more specifically to a slide-anchor-holding structure for a passive seat belt system.
(b) Description of the Related Art:
Referring first to FIGS. 4-7, slide-anchor-holding structures of conventional passive seat belt systems for automotive vehicles are described. An occupant-restraining webbing 3 is connected to a slide anchor 1 having a resin molding 2 which is guided along a guide rail 8 provided in the room of each vehicle. The slide anchor 1 is driven to move between an occupant-restraining position and an occupant-releasing position in accordance with opening and closure of an associated door.
At the occupant-restraining position, the slide anchor 1 engages with a load bearing element 4 such as a pin or bolt (see FIG. 4) or a load bearing element 6 such as an iron plate (see FIG. 6), so that a force applied to the webbing 3 is borne by the bearing element 4 or 6 via the slide anchor 1.
In such a conventional slide anchor, no angular moment is applied to the slide anchor 1 so long as the line of action of a force applied to the webbing 3 lies on an imaginary straight line extending through the point of contact between the slide anchor 1 and the load bearing element 4 or 6. In this case, the force can be successfully borne by the load bearing element 4 or 6. However, when the line of action of the force does not lie on the imaginary straight line, an angular moment whose magnitude is F.times.l is produced whereby a force is applied to the slide anchor 1 in a direction that the slide anchor 1 disengages from the load bearing element 4 as depicted in FIG. 5.
Under such an angular moment, it is no longer possible to bear the load by the load bearing element 4. As a result, certain loads are also applied to the guide rail 8 and resin molding 2 respectively. There is thus a potential problem that the guide rail 8 and resin molding 2 may be broken. Where the load bearing element is an iron plate or the like as illustrated in FIG. 6, the iron plate or the like may be deformed in some instances by an angular moment as depicted in FIG. 7.